I walked into the library and saw Ikusaba hunched over a book. I was right in where to find her, then. I approached her, but she didn't notice me, completely engrossed in her book, An Abridged History of Hope's Peak Academy.
"Hello, Ikusaba-san," I greeted, and she inhaled sharply, dropping her book.
"Togami-kun, do not sneak up on me again," she said firmly.
"I didn't. You just weren't paying attention," I clarified.
"Oh. My fault, then. It always is," she muttered bitterly.
I sat down beside her, "So, reading up on Hope's Peak. Anything interesting?"
"No," she sighed, "Half the book's blacked out. Who would deface a book like that? No, don't answer that, it's obviously that psycho bear."
"Yeah. Why not just give up, then? You aren't going to find anything," I suggested, covertly glancing at her. Her reaction to that statement would be crucial in determining whether or not she was part of SHSL Despair.
"Give up? No, I don't give up that easily. Although I know he's probably blacked out anything important, there's a shred of hope left inside me. Enough to keep looking," she said with conviction. A member of despair, talking about hope? Unlikely.
"Seeing a book defaced like that, how do you feel?" I prompted, switching angles.
"I feel angry. Someone destroyed a precious work of literature!" she explained.
"Are you sure it's just anger? Or, perchance, does it also make you feel despair?" I asked.
"No, I don't feel despair. Yeah, I'm angry, but the world isn't going to end because of one book being destroyed. Not really anything to despair over." She paused, "Do you feel alright? You're acting a bit strange."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," I dismissed quickly. She was silent a moment.
"Does this have something to do with the fact that you like Naegi-kun?"
I choked, "What? No! Why- how- no?" I cursed myself for stuttering, knowing that it confirmed the literary girl's suspicions.
"I thought as much. You like him. I like him too," she told, "The question is, who does Naegi-kun like?"
"I hate to say this, but he likes you," I informed bitterly, "He told me this morning.
She nodded, "It was also part of my motive. Thank you for confirming that for me, Togami-kun."
"Yeah, whatever," I snapped, any semblance of a good mood obliterated.
"No need to get nasty. It's not confirmed that me and him'll get together, you know. He might choose you, or maybe he'll find out that I'm having sex with my sister."
"Wait, what the hell? You're sleeping with Enoshima-san?!"
"Yes, I am. We've always been closer than most, and we got together three years ago," Ikusaba told.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
"I thought I'd even the playing field. I know something personal about you, now you know something personal about me."
"Since when do you know something personal about me?" I demanded.
"It was also part of my motive. Here." She passed the piece of paper with her motive to me.
Ikusaba Mukuro is sleeping with her sister
Naegi Makoto is in love with Kirigiri Kyouko
Togami Byakuya is a homosexual
I stared at the piece of paper, confused.
"What the hell? How is this a motive?" I said.
"My thoughts exactly. I can understand the first two; they are relevant to me. The last one, however, has nothing to do with me. Why would I care if you were gay?"
"Don't tell anyone," I ordered, "I've been keeping this a secret for as long as I can remember. You and Oowada are the only ones who know and I intend for it to stay that way."
"Relax. As long as you keep my secret, I'll keep yours," Ikusaba reassured.
"Thank you. I'll-"
"However, I know you like Naegi, and you know I like him. If you want him, you'll have to fight for him. And be warned, I won't give up without a fight."
I was shocked at Ikusaba's resolve. Most of the time, she was shy and timid. I had a feeling there was more between Ikusaba and Enoshima's relationship than I knew. But, as I talked to her without her sister there, it felt like I was talking to the real Ikusaba Mukuro.
"He is a bit plain-looking, don't you agree?" she asked.
"I think he's rather attractive," I commented subconsciously, then clapped a hand over my mouth. My face went scarlet as I realized my slip up, and Ikusaba laughed lightly.
"Mu-chan!" another voided resounded through the library, and I turned to see Enoshima skip perkily over to us.
"Oh, Junko-chan!" Ikusaba greeted warmly.
"Why didn't you come see me? I waited, and I waited, but you didn't come!" she whined.
"I-I'm sorry! I got sidetracked!" Ikusaba apologized.
"Silly Ane, did you have your nose in a book again?" she teased. I was very interested in the idol's behaviour; this was a side to her I hadn't encountered.
"Yeah, I was trying to find out more about the school," Ikusaba told.
"Really? Boring! You have awful taste!" Enoshima snapped, angry all of a sudden.
"I- you're right, I do. I'm sorry," Ikusaba said quietly. And we were back to the other Ikusaba. Great. Just when I was learning something.
"Yeah, you should be sorry, you pathetic bitch," Enoshima berated.
"Please forgive me, Junko-chan," Ikusaba pleaded.
"Of course I forgive you, silly onee-chan! Now come swimming with me!" She was cheerful again. Alright. I'll go along with the mood swings for now. Enoshima grabbed Ikusaba's hand and started running towards the door, pulling her along.
I was alone again. Finally. I had collected enough information to determine that Ikusaba was not a member of SHSL Despair, so I had the rest of the day to myself.
I stood up and walked out of the library. I started wandering around, looking for someone else to interrogate. I saw Kirigiri through a crack in a door, sitting silently in a classroom, and staring at the blackboard. Interest piqued, I entered the room.
"Oi, Kirigiri-san. What are you doing in here?" I asked.
"I'd prefer not to tell you at this time," she responded coolly.
"Where's Celes-san?"
"I dont know. She left to 'take care of some business.'"
"When did she leave?"
"Around 11:45."
"Alright, so she left to meet with me, but where did she go after that? I seem to recall her heading towards your dorm."
"Well, she never arrived. I think we can assume she's still working on that investigation the two of you are conducting.
I felt a quiet rage building inside of me, "Celes-san told you about what we were doing?"
"If you're talking about 'SHSL Despair', then yes, she did."
"Damn it! I knew she wasn't thinking straight, but I didn't think she'd actually tell you!" I took a breath, calming down, "Tell me something private about yourself."
"Excuse me?"
"Tell me something to make me trust you!" I demanded.
"You want me to tell you something? Fine. I almost got engaged once." She took a shaky breath, "There was this girl. I really loved her, truly. Her name is- was Oshiro-san. The day before I intended to propose, she vanished. No trace. I never saw her again. Is that personal enough for you, Togami-kun?"
I was startled to see her, a hardened biker gang leader, on the verge of tears. She must have really cared for this Oshiro.
"Yes, that is plenty personal, but does nothing to convince me that you're trustworthy. In fact, it makes you even more likely to be a member of SHSL Despair." I paused, realizing something, "You were going to propose to this girl, yet you aren't even 18. When, where, and how did the two of you meet?"
"I- I-" she stuttered, "I cannot seem to remember. Why can't I remember?"
"It must have something to do with our missing memories," I deduced, "You're lucky to have the few memories you do. I can't remember anything; the best I've got is the feeling that we've all met before, that certain scenes and conversations happened before."
Kirigiri glanced up at the clock, "Oh, it is almost 3:00. I must be going. I hope we can talk later." She stood up and left the room without waiting for a response.
There was no reason for me to stay out, so I headed back to my room. When I opened the door, I saw a small note kying on the ground. I picked it up, closing and locking the door behind me, and quickly read it.
Hi! It's your friendly mastermind, codename Prime! Are you enjoying yourself, Togami-kun? I sure hope so! We really put a lot of work into this game! Anyways, I noticed you were investigating SHSL Despair, trying to find our identities! Please, please, please stop! I really don't want to take drastic measures, but we can't allow you to pry anymore! I'll make you a deal, okay? If you and Naegi-kun can survive until you're the only pair left, then I'll tell you who we are and you can walk away without a scratch! Yay! So, you get your freedom, and all I want in return is some privacy! Thanks! I love you all! ~Prime
I honestly didn't know what to think. That message wasn't very structured, jumping around. 'Prime' was probably trying to confuse me. I gently massaged my temples and started going through the note, identifying the main points.
-There are multiple masterminds
-One of them calls themself Prime
-Prime found out that I've been investigating SHSL Despair
-They don't want me investigating
-They are trying to trick me into giving up
They really aren't giving me enough credit. I won't give up that easily. They think that I'll stop investigating because they offer to let me off without a scratch? Like I'd believe that!
I left my room, heading to the change room to put my note in the locker with the suspect list. Once I got there, Kuwata was standing outside the door, smirking.
"I wouldn't go in there," he advised.
"Why not?" I demanded, "I have... business in there."
"What business could you have in a change room? he asked, glint in his eyes, "Meeting someone? A girl? A guy? If not, I'm available." He winked flirtatiously.
"Not interested," I declined, shoving past him.
"Oi! Don't go in!" he shouted, "Mondo and Kiyo-"
"Are of no concern to me," I interrupted and entered the change room. I looked around, puzzled. Hadn't Kuwata just said that Oowada and Ishimaru were in here? I heard a sound coming from the sauna, and I walked over and looked through the window. Inside, I saw Oowada and Ishimaru. On the floor. Completely naked. Oowada on top of Ishimaru. I stumbled backwards, desparately trying to get the image out of my head, and quickly left the room.
"I tried to warn ya," Kuwata said smugly as I walked away. I ignored him and went straight to the library. I had to distract myself, get that image OUT before I was permanently scarred. I grabbed the Genocider Syo casebook and submerged myself in the descriptive data on the violent murders.
"Ding, dong, ding dong! Attention, students! It is now 10pm, and we are entering Night Time! The cafeteria will be closing shortly! Have a nice night!"
I was startled. Was it really Night Time already? I had completely lost track of time. I returned the book to the shelf and headed down to meet Celes.
Celes, as usual, was already there when I arrived.
"Were you talking to Kyouko earlier?" she immediately demanded.
"Yes, I was. She was sitting alone in a classroom. Apparently her girlfriend abandoned her," I responded.
"Something came up," she said vaguely, "That isn't the point. Did you accuse Kyouko of being part of SHSL Despair?"
"No. I told her to prove that I could trust her by telling me something personal about herself. She told me a story about the girl she loved who vanished and was never seen again. It was a truly despair-inducing story."
"So you think she's part of SHSL Despair?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then you're a fucking idiot!" she yelled.
"No, I think you're the idiot. Your personal feelings are clouding your judgement, Celes-san. You need to investigate impartially, or the information you collect will be invalid."
"Whatever," she dismissed, "Let's move on to something of importance."
"Alright," I agreed, pulling out the note from Prime, "This was delivered to me earlier."
"Oh, is that a note from the mastermind? I received one as well!" she said, pulling out a similar-looking note.
Hi, Celes-chan! Prime Squared here! I'm one of your friendly masterminds! You're being a big meanie, you know that? You're trying to find out who I am, and that's just mean! But I'm not a meanie, so let's make a deal! If you stop trying to find me, and you and Kyouko-chan make it to the end, we'll let you go! Whee! You and your girlfriend can live happily ever after! All you have to do is respect our privacy! ~Prime Squared
"How interesting," Celes commented, "Both of us were promised the same thing. Obviously, they are lies."
"My thoughts exactly," I agreed, unlocking the locker and placing my note inside. Celes did the same. I took out the class list, "Did you find anything out today?"
"Nothing of importance. I followed a lead, and it didn't turn out," she told.
"I'm sorry to say this, Celes-san, but I talked to Ikusaba-san today, and I have confirmed that she is not a member of SHSL Despair," I informed.
"Which means- my family's company was destroyed. My parents are probably dead and my title of SHSL Heiress no longer means anything," Celes said, face clouded with grief. I took the list, crossed Ikusaba's name off, and placed it back in the locker, locking it and slipping the key into my pocket.
"I think that's all we can do to say. We'll meet again tomorrow," I said, and tried to open the door. It wouldn't open, "What the hell!"
"This door doesn't lock. Why can't you open it?" Celes asked.
"I don't know! I think it's stuck!"
"Is that what you think, darling?" a voice resounded through the room. I spun around and watched as the door to the sauna opened, and Fukawa- no, this was definitely Genocider- walked out.
"Fukawa-san, what are you doing here?" Celes asked.
"Gloomy isn't here anymore! It's everyone's favorite serial killer, Genocider Syo!" she announced.
"What do you want?" I demanded.
"What do I want? What do I want?!" She shoved me against the wall and drove several pairs of scissors through the fabric of my shirt, pinning me there, "I want revenge, Byakuya-sama."
"Revenge for what?" Celes asked, and the serial killer turned on her.
"You see, Celestia, Gloomy left me a note! Yes, she told me that she was all depressed because she thought you two were doing naughty things!" she told, shoving the heiress against the wall, "She was jealous, y'see? And when Gloomy's jealous, I'm even more jealous! So I turn up here, and who do I find? The two of you!"
"No, you have it wrong-" I started.
"No! I don't want your lies, Bya-kun!" she shouted, "It's too late for that!" She drove a pair of scissors into Celes' chest.
"No!" I shouted, but it was too late. Syo released Celes, and she slid down the wall and collapsed. She was dead. My ally, my most trusted friend, was dead. Syo approached me again.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, Bya-kun," she whispered, "But you're a witness, and you're too hot for me to restrain myself. I have to kill you." She withdrew another pair of scissors, and as she raised them, I knew it was the end. I shouldn't have baited Fukawa. I shouldn't have trusted her, a serial killer. It was my mistakes that had led to my demise. I saw a glint in the serial killer's eyes, a glint of remorse, as she drove her scissors into my chest. I was conscious for a moment, white-hot pain racing through my body, then I succumbed to the growing darkness.
I let go.
END OF DAY THREE
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